By Miranda Luby
JENNY Henderson woke up last Thursday morning with a head full of shoulder length brown hair and brushed it for the last time in a long time.
The teacher styled it and went off to work at Doveton Primary School but by the end of recess, all her hair was laying on the floor as kids cheered and laughed.
Much to her students’ delight, Ms Henderson bravely shaved her head to raise money for the World’s Greatest Shave.
But far from just wanting to entertain, the significance of what she did lays close to her own heart.
“A while ago I wanted to shave my head for my 77-year-old mum, who had cancer. She was very upset about losing her hair and I wanted to make her laugh,” she said.
“But just before I could do it, she went into hospital and never came out.”
So six months later, Ms Henderson fulfilled her wish for her mum and let it all come off.
“Raising money for this cause is so important,” she said.
“The money is as much for the families of the sick as it is for research and treatment.”
The kids at Doveton Primary School paid two dollars each to watch the spectacle, adding to Ms Henderson’s huge $2000 total.
Her family wasn’t surprised that she wanted to shave her head and were very supportive.
“At first my husband wanted me to just dye it, but I know he understands why I had to shave,” she said. Ms Henderson has a family history of cancer with her dad, nephew and daughter all survivors and she doesn’t wish the pain of her experiences upon anyone.
“I hope that none of these kids ever need the money we have raised but if they do, it’s nice to know that we helped,” she said.